Our house, in the middle of the street: Trip to Ilocos Sur and Norte (repost)

Went to Ilocos last March 2 to 7 with dar, mik and bry. I had 3 purpose of going to Ilocos - first, to say goodbye to my grandparents and telling them that I'm leaving the country; second, my aunt (my mom's younger sister) will be going home from the States after 8 years; and third, have a vacation before leaving the Philippines.

Went to my grandparent's house first at Magsingal, Ilocos Sur to say hello to my relatives, then slept at our house just nearby. I haven't been to our house in the province for a year and seeing all the things inside our house made me feel somewhat overwhelmed. So much has happened to our family these last 2 years - our family fell apart, my parents' business went down, we lost our house that we lived in for 10 years or so, each one of us, one by one, had to relocate to New Zealand to start a new life. Almost all the things, furnitures, etc. are there in the house (which I thought were all gone) that reminded me of the home where I grew up and once had with my family. It's sad but life goes on.

The next day, we went to Pagudpod, Ilocos Norte, about 3-4 hours from Magsingal, Ilocos Sur. This time, we stayed in a house (they call it 'homestay') instead of a resort. The house is not much - it's just a house made of hollow blocks and anahaw leaves for roofing. But for P 600 a night, we have a place to stay and we can cook our own food (which made our vacation cheaper and more fun). We could just walk to the public beach which is as good as the other resorts anyway since Pagudpod is like Boracay - it's a long strip of beach. Spent 3 days on the beach - swimming, walking, climbing a small mountain, eating, drinking and bumming around.

me & the beach

the boys

Going back to Magsingal for my aunt's 'padasal' (thanksgiving celebration because after 8 years, she was finally able to come home), we passed by Cape Bojeador Lighthouse at Burgos and Sand Dunes at La Paz, both at Ilocos Norte. We also wanted to see the newly-built windmills at Bangui but we were pressed for time.

the lighthouse